1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general relates to MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) devices and more particularly to a MEMS fuze utilized to set off a main charge of a munitions round.
2) Description of the Related Art
A fuze is a device designed to set off an explosive train in a munitions round such as a mortar round, artillery shell or rocket warhead, by way of example. Conventional mechanical fuzes make use of a detonator, such as an M100, which is cylindrical and approximately 3 mm (millimeters) in diameter and 10 mm in length. These detonators are mounted in a rotor mechanism with mechanical locks, with a typical volume of greater than 10 cc (cubic centimeters).
Such detonators are much too large for use in MEMS type fuzes and, in addition, they require assembly of multiple mechanical components resulting in higher complexity, higher costs and lower reliability.